Finished, or not!
by Ignorant Sparrow
Summary: "Once we save Su, you and I are finished!"


"Who's Lin's dad?" Bolin asked sporting a brave curio. Lin turned to give him the glare of the lifetime. How dare he?

"He was a guy named Kanto." Toph replied casually as if she was talking about one of her old officers. "Nice man, but it didn't really work out between us."

Lin breathed in and out, in and out, in and out trying hard not to bend a wall of earth at Bolin and her so called mother.

"Lin I can feel your enraged breathing from here." Toph snapped. "Just say what you have to say and let's get it over with."

Lin threw the ramen bowl in her hands on to the pedestal and stood up. "Don't act like you care about what I have to say" She growled. "Don't act like you care about me. I know you are here to save _your daughter_. And I'm here to save my sister. Once we save Su, you and I are finished."

"How can you think that it'll ever happen?" Toph said calmly from her podium. "We are stuck together. We are family." She pointed out her chopsticks towards Lin and then to her.

Lin let out a bitter laugh full of sarcasm. "Am I now?" She asked rolling her eyes. "Su's your family. She's your love child. I know I'm your mistake, the mistake you made with a guy named Kanto."

Opal had her mouth covered with both her hands. Bolin was wide eyed, and hiding behind Opal. Toph set the ramen bowl in her hands, down and stood up, frowning at Lin.

"How dare you?" She said walking towards her. "How dare you say such a gruesome thing, Lin Beifong?!"

There was Lin's bitter laugh again. "Act like all high and mighty and noble, _mother" _She replied with an emphasis on her last word. "But that does not change a thing. Let's just do what we came to do and move on." She said turning to leave.

The earth under Lin's feet rotated and sank a bit, making Lin spin on the spot and lowered to Toph's level so that she was looking Toph in the eye. "I don't make mistakes." Toph said fiercely, taking Lin by upper arm. "I make choices. You don't get to assume things just because I'm not the greatest mother in the world."

Lin shrugged her mother's hand and leapt out of her earthly trap. "Choices? Like the one you made to leave? Like the one you made not to come around when I lost my bending?" She spat. "People make choices for the ones they love, and obviously, I'm nothing to you!"

Toph opened her mouth to respond but Lin wasn't finished. "And that's fine. You don't need to pretend otherwise. I've come to terms with it." With that she sat back down. Took her bowl of ramen and started to eat.

Toph's mouth was slightly ajar. She fixed Lin with a 'look' for few seconds before she let her eye lids fall and sigh. Her voice cracked in the slightest when she spoke next. "If that's your decision and it makes you happy, then fine!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They all sat in a cave, hidden well from Kuvira and her army. Kuvira's weapon had failed for the second time and Bolin suspected Zu Li has something to do with it for sure. Su's family was cuddling each other, celebrating the fact that they escaped and Toph's back among them. "If only that jerk Junior was here, the Beifong family is complete!" Lin heard Wei say aloud. She sat well away from the rest of the group, eating her ramen alone. Su watched Lin's form, shoulders slouched and head bowed. She sighed, looking at Toph who was chatting with Wei and Wing.

She approached them quietly. "Guys, I need a moment with your grandma." She said to her twin sons. They got up, each placing a punch-of-affection on either of Toph's shoulders, and left. Toph grinned after them. "I missed those two." She said as Su sat down.

"I missed you so much mom." She said, leaning against the wall of the cave and placing her head on Toph's aged shoulder. Toph patted her hand. "I was watching over you Badgermole."

They sat there for a while, enjoying the moment.

"Opal said you two had a row last night." She said tentatively as she felt Toph stiffen. Su wasn't fond of getting involved in her sister's and mother's arguments. She had had too much of harsh experience for the short sixteen years they had been together. But after learning what Lin had said to Toph, Su couldn't stand by and watch.

"I cannot believe Lin felt so left alone and out-casted. Mom you need to fix this." Su said as Toph continued to keep quiet. Toph sighed. "I fear I'm a little too late for that."

Su knew both her mother and sister were not great at talking about their feelings. They did not realize how much alike they really are. Su couldn't let her family tear apart now that they are together again. So she's not going to let Lin and Toph to be finished.

"You have to." Su said straightening up. "Go talk to her. Listen to her. If I recall right, that's Lin's main accusation every time you fought."

"When Lin was placed in my arms by Katara, I cried. For the first time in my life, I cried because I was overjoyed." Toph said bowing her head. "But now, Lin thinks she's a mistake I've made with a random guy. You tell me how to fix this Su!"

Su placed a quick kiss on Toph's temple. "Lin is so selfless and caring and reasonable. She's always been. So, if you tell her exactly how you feel, she'll understand mom. Don't keep how you feel about Lin to yourself. Just tell her."

Toph sighed again and slowly got up. "I can only try" She said as Su got up as well. Su gave Toph a little shove. "Go"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Lin was outside of the cave, laying on the sandy floor, using her bag as a pillow, her eyes closed, breathing shallow. Toph slowly dropped down next to her eldest. "Lin!" She called quietly. There was no response. Lin was seemingly asleep. Toph waited for a good while by Lin's side while Lin continued to be asleep. Finally she gathered the courage to trace her fingers along Lin's face. She saw how Lin had aged for the last twenty years she has missed. As Toph's fingers traveled along Lin's forehead, eyebrows, nose, lingering slightly on her scars, lips and cheek bones, she felt a tear roll down her own eyes.

"You know, I was telling Su earlier, I cried when Katara first placed you in my arms. I cried because I was so happy. How dare you think you are a mistake badgermole?" She said to the night. "I left twenty years ago because I couldn't deal with Twinkletoe's death. I came to the city three years ago but you've already left for South Pole. True, I was a terrible mother, but it's also true that I love you very much in my own twisted way. I know you are awake. I just wanted to say sorry for how things happened."

Without opening her eyes, Lin turned slightly and slid towards Toph. Resting her head on Toph's lap, Lin's right arm came to snake around Toph's knees. Toph felt her Tunic get damped with few tears that were Lin's.

She rested her hand in Lin's hair, gently stroking the unruly locks. They stayed there, feeling lighter than clouds in twenty long years, until Su came them usher them inside.

_-Fin-_


End file.
